Why Victims of the Aurora Shooting Were Ordered to Pay the Movie Theater $700,000

Four survivors of 2012's Aurora shooting have been ordered to pay $700,000 to the movie theater chain where the massacre took place. The demand was first made back in June by attorneys for Cinemark in an effort to cover the theater chain's legal fees after a jury ruled against the victims who had originally sued. Now, The Los Angeles Times reports that a judge has upheld the order, telling the victims they must pay in full.

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The group of survivors had claimed that Cinemark's lack of security was to blame for the attack on July 20, 2012, in which gunman James Holmes killed 12 people and injured more than 70 during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

Cinemark was able to defend itself against those claims at trial, and the judge urged the survivors to accept a settlement deal–$150k split among the 41 plaintiffs. One plaintiff, who lost two children in the shooting and was left paralyzed, refused to accept the settlement, and the deal fell through.

Only four plaintiffs remained on the case by the time the final order was handed down on June 24, which is why only four survivors are liable for the costs.

This is thorny. On the one hand, filing a lawsuit against Cinemark in response to extreme circumstances was arguably misguided. On the other hand, it's a vast understatement to say that these people have suffered enough, and gouging money from traumatized survivors is not a great look for the third-largest theater chain in America.